


Nice

by Heather_Night



Category: Animal Kingdom (TV)
Genre: Jealousy, M/M, Massage, Pre-Canon, Recreational Drug Use, Teenagers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-19
Updated: 2019-12-19
Packaged: 2021-02-26 08:13:58
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,236
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21810085
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Heather_Night/pseuds/Heather_Night
Summary: More and more Deran couldn’t keep his eyes off of Adrian.  The guy was good looking but then so were other guys.  Although the fact Deran noticed guys were attractive at all was a problem.A problem he tried to ignore but it kept bubbling back to the surface.The problem with Adrian was not only did he have a hot body, and cute face, but he was smart, funny and nice.  It was the nice that was the main problem.  Deran hadn’t had much exposure to nice in his life so when someone treated him kindly, he wasn’t sure what to do with his feelings.  When Adrian treated him kindly, he wanted to melt.
Relationships: Deran Cody & Adrian Dolan, Deran Cody/Adrian Dolan
Comments: 3
Kudos: 41
Collections: Animal Kingdom ▶ Deran Cody / Adrian Dolan





	Nice

More and more Deran couldn’t keep his eyes off of Adrian. The guy was good looking but then so were other guys. Although the fact Deran noticed guys were attractive at all was a problem.

A problem he tried to ignore but it kept bubbling back to the surface.

The problem with Adrian was not only did he have a hot body, and cute face, but he was smart, funny and nice. It was the nice that was the main problem. Deran hadn’t had much exposure to nice in his life so when someone treated him kindly, he wasn’t sure what to do with his feelings. When Adrian treated him kindly, he wanted to melt.

Deran planted his board in the sand and sat on the small retention wall, massaging his left calf muscle. It had started twinging during his last ride and he knew better than to stay in the water if he had a cramp.

“Hey, everything okay?” 

He knew it was Adrian without lifting his head. Sweet voiced and full of concern. And raspy, probably from laughing so much. It was kind of unnatural how good humored the guy was and even when Deran snapped at him, Adrian never seemed offended.

Adrian bent over him, casting a shadow over him. “Cramp? Man, that sucks. Here, have some water.” A blue reusable water bottle was thrust into his hand and Deran couldn’t help but notice that the deep blue color of the bottle matched Adrian’s pretty eyes.

Deran popped the lid open and gulped some water down, trying not to think of how Adrian’s lips had also touched the same place.

_How much Deran wanted Adrian’s lips to touch something else._

A particularly strong cramp in his left calf made him gasp. 

Adrian knelt down in front of him—oh, jesus, that was going to be a sight Deran committed to memory—and his strong hands curled around his calf, gently, stroking upwards. Toward his heart.

Toward his groin.

“Harder. Please.” Deran groaned out his request, amazed at how wonderful Adrian’s touch felt on his skin. The guy wasn’t doing anything different than Deran had been but it felt so much better.

Adrian applied more pressure with every up-stroke. As the muscles loosened, he began to knead the affected area. He didn’t just use his palms though; there were thumbs and fingers and knuckles and just the right amount of pressure.

Deran’s cock filled and his balls pulled up and if Adrian kept on going, he was going to have a problem no one would be able to ignore. He looked up to tell Adrian he’d had enough, he was better, but his heart seized in his chest at the sight: Adrian, on his knees, attention completely focused on Deran’s leg, face settled in concentration, pink tongue at the corner of his mouth.

It was probably the sweetest thing Deran had ever experienced—someone taking care of him—without him having to beg for the attention.

And Deran didn’t think Adrian wanted anything in return. He was just that nice of a guy. And he liked Deran for some reason.

“Thanks. It’s better.” Deran was embarrassed by how gruff his voice was but Adrian didn’t seem to mind; he sat back on his heels, hands on his thighs and smiled up at Deran.

Deran took another visual sweep of Adrian—this would probably never happen again and holy fuck, he wanted to remember this—but his focus couldn’t move past the bulge in Adrian’s board shorts.

Maybe it was the way he was sitting but Adrian’s package was huge, pushing again the cotton material. 

Begging to be touched.

Deran wanted to touch. Badly. 

Someone called Adrian’s name and he turned in that direction, calling out a response. “That’s my ride. I gotta go. You going to be at Conner’s party tonight?”

He hadn’t really thought about it. “If I don’t find something else better to do.”

Adrian shrugged, biting his lip. “Okay, maybe see you later then.”

Deran kicked himself mentally as Adrian strolled off, hips rolling as he walked; had Adrian been asking Deran to join him at the party? Not that going was a good idea. He liked a guy and his brothers, never mind Smurf, would beat the shit out of him if they found out.

He refocused on the departing Adrian. They were the same age but Adrian’s shoulders were broader than Deran’s although their hips and waist were probably the same size. Deran really liked the ratio between Adrian’s shoulders and his waist. 

_Fuck_. He liked guys. One in particular. His brain told him this was bad but his heart was all fluttery.

He strengthened his resolve; whatever he did, he needed to make sure Adrian wasn’t hurt.

-0-

Adrian looked forward to Conner’s party for many reasons. He was a social animal and liked being were people hung out. There was going to be free beer and since he was broke, that was a huge draw. The main reason was that he’d finally told his parents he was gay and that had gone over about as well as he’d thought it would. He dabbed at the blood welling on his split lip before poking around his sore eye; his dad still knew how to pack a punch. Thank god Jess was okay with him sleeping on her couch for a while.

So, yeah, going to the party would be good for blowing off steam, even if he had to duck questions about why he had a fat lip and bruised eye.

And then there was Deran. Seeing Deran was usually enough to turn a shitty day into a good one. He made sure the sleeveless hoodie was zipped—he wanted to look nice but not like a slut—before he stepped out of Jess’s tiny bathroom. 

His sister leaned against the wall, arms folded, smirking. “Curfew is midnight.”

Adrian’s jaw hung open. _What the fuck?_

Jess cackled. “You should see your face!”

Oh. She was joking. His sister could be over overprotective but really, she was a smart-ass who liked yanking his chain.

“Very funny, Jess. Thanks for the couch. And the key. I’ll try not to make too much noise when I come back.” Adrian really did appreciate his sister allowing him to stay with her. She valued her independence and having her little brother underfoot had to be a drag.

She cackled again. “Who says I’m going to be home when you get in?” She sobered, straightened, and threw her arm out, punching him lightly in the arm. “Just clean up after yourself. That’s all I ask.”

He could’ve hugged her but they weren’t really a hugging family.

He thought of his face; more like a hitting family these days.

“Okay, be safe. Remember to use a condom!” He called over his shoulder as he jetted out the front door.

Jess shrieked in outrage but Adrian pulled the door shut behind him. If he lingered, they’d end up in a pillow fight or something equally stupid.

The walk to Conner’s took about thirty minutes but it was a nice evening so he didn’t mind. He was a bit shocked when he entered the house and the first person he saw was Deran.

Deran who wasn’t sure he was coming to the party.

Deran with a big boobed blond hanging all over him.

Adrian had to pass by him if he wanted a drink. Conner was at least predictable and he knew he’d find a keg in the kitchen with a stack of red Solo cups close by.

But first he worked up the courage to say hi to his crush. Brushing his hair to the side of his face so that his sore eye would be at least partially obscured, Adrian gave Deran a shy smile. “Hey, Deran. Wasn’t sure you’d make it tonight. How’s it going?”

It was pretty lame but it was also blandly friendly which Adrian was striving for despite having had his paws all over Deran’s leg earlier in the day.

Kneeling between his legs.

Deran ignored his greeting, instead pulling the blond into his arms for a tight, messy kiss.

_O-kay_. That was certainly a response. Not the one he’d been hoping for but Deran clearly wasn’t interested in him. Not even as a friend.

Adrian continued toward the kitchen where he ran into Colby. “Bro, what happened to your face?”

He never quite knew how to take Colby who seemed like a player. Ox was nicer although a bit dimmer, not that Adrian felt like he could throw stones at the moment over being dim. After all, he’d deluded himself into thinking Deran might like him back.

“Here, have some molly. It’ll fix you right up.” Colby pressed a pill into his hand followed by a red Solo cup. 

Adrian didn’t like doing drugs, except for weed and alcohol, but those just mellowed him out.

Colby stared at him as though he was waiting for Adrian to decline his offer like he always did but Adrian held his cup up in a salute. “I don’t have any money.”

The other guy shrugged. “You look like you need a dance with molly more than me, my friend.”

Adrian wasn’t sure Colby was his friend—he was Deran’s—but he could either leave the party like a pouting kid or he could pop the pill, relax, and blow off steam like he’d planned. “Thanks, man.”

He swallowed the pill with a gulp of beer and wandered into the back yard. He had less of a chance of bumping into Deran out here and it was a nice night. He really shouldn’t let an unrequited crush control his mood like this.

He had a hunch the molly would take care of that any moment now.

-0-

Deran felt like crap. He’d totally dissed Adrian which was a shitty thing to do to his friend. He didn’t know what to do with the feelings he had for Adrian so he’d turned his attentions onto the chick whose name he couldn’t remember. Marla? Marie? Mary? It didn’t matter; he’d left her in the living room while in pursuit of Adrian who had a huge head start on him.

It had taken him some time to pull his head out of his ass and realize the brief glance he’d had of Adrian had showed the guy was surprised. Then baffled. And, finally, hurt.

He didn’t want to hurt Adrian. Even if they were just friends, Adrian was probably his best friend. He needed to find him and apologize. He didn’t know what he’d say but Adrian didn’t hold grudges so he thought he could make this right.

But how right? Thoughts of touching Adrian were driving him crazy.

He entered the kitchen where Colby was holding forth with some younger looking skater dudes. “Hey, Colby, did you see Adrian come through here?”

Colby smirked. He had a decent sense of humor and was a smart enough guy but he wasn’t very polished and sometimes Deran wanted to punch him in the face just to wipe the smirk off of it. “Yo, Deran. You just missed Adrian. Did you give him that shiner and fat lip?”

Deran moved into Colby’s personal space. “Where. Did. He. Go.”

The guy fucking eyerolled him. “He should be in the backyard. With Conner. Relaxing.”

He headed out the door into the yard as Colby and his entourage giggled. Fucking useless.

Taking a deep breath, Deran tried to control his anger and frustration. Who had dared lay a hand on his—?

His brain short circuited. Conner had Adrian pinned against the side of the house and his hand was cupping his cheek. His head was in the way but Deran imagined Conner was kissing Adrian.

Deran saw red. Adrian was _his_. Sure, he’d ignored the guy when he’d arrived at the party but earlier in the day Adrian’s hands had been all over his body. 

If anyone was going to kiss Adrian, it should be Deran.

He’d like to do a lot more than just kiss the guy. He’d start by exploring the bulge he’d seen in Adrian’s shorts. The thought of cupping his balls, weighing them, then fondling them made his heart gallop in his chest. The things he wanted to do to Adrian’s cock; he couldn’t think too hard on it because he’d come in his shorts.

First he needed to get rid of Conner. But it was Conner’s house. And Conner had always been weirdly interested in Adrian but Deran had put that down to jealousy over Adrian’s board skills. Conner had a nice physique, and his family had money, but he was a douche.

A douche with perfect hair.

What if Conner wanted Adrian?

“No,” Adrian moaned. 

That’s all Deran needed to hear. Both his feet and his mouth jumped into motion. “Conner, what the fuck are you doing? Get the hell off of him!” 

Conner looked over his shoulder but Deran gave him a hard shove, pushing him away from his shaking friend.

With a grunt Conner tripped and landed on his ass. Adrian started to slide down the side of the house but Deran managed to catch him by the shoulders so he remained upright.

Colby was right; someone had given Adrian a black eye and fat lip. How had Deran missed that when Adrian walked by him?

He turned his head, making eye contact with Conner who was pushing to his feet and brushing himself off. “Did you do this to him?” He motioned at Adrian’s face.

“Fuck, no, I didn’t punch him. I also didn’t give him the molly or whatever the fuck he’s flying high on.” The guy pushed his hair off his face, patting it in place. It wasn’t so perfect anymore.

“Adrian doesn’t do the hard stuff.” Deran focused back on Adrian. Glassy blue eyes blinked at him but there wasn’t any recognition in them.

Connor snorted. “I know that. That’s why I was trying to be a good host and look after him. But you know what? He’s all yours. I’m going back inside.” He disappeared back into the house leaving silence in his wake.

_He’s all yours_. Deran sighed; in his dreams.

Deran wrapped an arm around Adrian’s waist. “Come on, maybe a walk will help.”

Adrian was shockingly compliant as he let Deran lead him out of the yard, down the sidewalk and toward the beach. His friend’s legs at least held his weight and he didn’t complain but it was weird—Adrian always had a comment or a joke or a story and this shuffling person didn’t resemble the usually graceful, athletic, outgoing guy Deran knew. 

Once they made it to the beach Deran guided Adrian to a dune of sand and eased him down until he was sitting. Deran dropped down next to him and didn’t say anything when Adrian leaned against him, resting his head on Deran’s shoulder.

There was a slight yeasty smell that told Deran his friend had imbibed some beer but he mostly picked up that fresh, ocean scent he associated with Adrian. It was his favorite scent in the world.

This was a problem. He’d dissed Adrian earlier and now he was waxing poetic, at least internally, about how the guy smelled.

And he’d just about ripped into Conner who’d only been trying to help Adrian. From Deran’s point of view it had looked like Conner was putting the moves on Adrian and in theory that shouldn’t be a problem but in practice it was a huge one.

_Deran was attracted to Adrian._

_Other guys shouldn’t touch Adrian._

_Ever._

“Why are you being nice to me?” Adrian’s voice was breathy as he buried his face into the side of Deran’s neck. If he kept on doing that Deran was going to have a hard time not acting on his body’s wishes. He wanted to touch Adrian so god-damn much it wasn’t funny.

Adrian snorted; the gust of air tickled Deran’s skin. “Oh, so you’re still ignoring me. Well, fuck you very much.”

Deran tightened his grip on Adrian’s waist. “I’m sorry I was a jack-ass earlier. You didn’t deserve it.”

“Mmm. No shit.” Adrian giggled which took the sting out of his response. Nineteen-year-olds shouldn’t giggle but when Adrian did it, it was cute. 

Christ, he had it bad.

Deran eased Adrian away from his side and tried to get a better look at his face but despite the stars it was too dark. “What happened? Who hit you?”

Adrian dipped his chin down and wouldn’t make eye contact. “My dad doesn’t want a gay son.” He delivered the statement almost devoid of emotion but there was a little hitch at the end of the last word that told Deran just how much that had hurt. 

He pulled Adrian back against his side, keeping his arm around his waist. That really sucked. Deran was no stranger to getting his ass kicked at home but this was bullshit. Adrian was a good guy. The best. Who the fuck did his old man think he was, laying a finger on Adrian?

What had happened to Adrian was exactly why Deran hadn’t told his family anything. Although he thought receiving a beat-down would be better than getting shunned.

“He threw me out of the house. I’m staying with Jess until I can figure something out.” Adrian’s voice was stronger. Maybe the drugs were clearing his system.

Deran didn’t know what to say but he felt like he had to say something. Adrian had been kicked out; that was Deran’s greatest fear. “If your old man is going to be an asshole about it than fuck him.” It was complete Cody bluster but his saying he was going to go kick his dad’s ass wouldn’t go over very well. 

Snorting loudly, Adrian flopped his head back onto Deran’s shoulder. “Jesus, fuck, no. I need to bleach my brain at that thought.”

Adrian had planted the idea of fucking in his head and Deran’s face burned at the thought. At least under the stars no one could see him blush.

Leaning over, a bit precariously, Adrian gripped Deran’s left calf and started kneading it between his hands. It was an awkward position but thinking of fucking…being touched…he couldn’t quite bring himself to put a stop to it.

“Did you really threaten Conner or did I dream that?” Adrian’s question heated Deran’s whole neck and face with embarrassment. He could probably be seen from space.

Deran patted Adrian’s back. “I thought he was hurting you.” He didn’t mention the jealousy thing. 

“My hero.” Adrian’s calf kneading slowed down and then stopped before he slumped against Deran’s thigh. 

He was breathing so Deran wasn’t worried. He could’ve taken Adrian to Jess’s place but he’d rather sit here on the beach, watching the waves beneath the moonlight.

Watching Adrian’s messy hair obscure his cute face. 

He hefted Adrian upright but just enough so he leaned against Deran’s side again with his head tucked into the crook of his neck.

Somehow his problem had grown from finding guys attractive to being jealous of other guys paying Adrian attention.

At some point in the future something would have to give but for now he was going to enjoy having Adrian in his arms. It was more than nice. 

Finis

**Author's Note:**

> The hurt/comfort prompt was backrubs/massages. Emphasis on massage.
> 
> Thank you for reading!


End file.
